The “Toast to American Hustle” at Ago won Thursday night’s party derby.

It was hosted by Vanity Fair and Chrysler, but De Niro was at the center. In addition to being an owner of the Melrose hotspot, he shared the prime table with “Hustle” director David O. Russell in the back room. They were joined by Paul Herman, who plays a fake lawyer in the critical scene in the film.

Ever the host, Vanity Fair publisher Edward Menicheschi fetched a cocktail in a tin glass for Ellison before she even made it through bottleneck entrance. Update: I’ve been chastised and refined from my brute analysis. It was actually a “Le Melon Mule in a copper mug,” a Goose flavor that’s not yet been released.

Russell, meanwhile, snapped photos for Florence Henderson with her iPhone. He was coming off a night in which both the Directors and Writers Nominees’ receptions conflicted (he’s the only crossover nominee). He also turned up at TheWrap’s Oscar party.

Adrien Grenier turned up looking lean at “shooting weight” for the “Entourage” movie.

(By Friday morning, a crew from “Entourage” was shooting at Equinox in West Hollywood. Regular morning cycler Common hopped off his bike mid-sweat, agree to be mic’d up, and step in to a small scene. The scene included a loud swear word that begins with “f” followed by a death threat.)

Michael Wilkinson, the Oscar nominated costume designer behind “American Hustle,” had a lot to be smiling about at the “American Hustle” toast.

He’s a hero to many men for Amy Adams‘ revealing wardrobe. And his next designs are for superheroes: He’s handling costumes for 2016’s Superman-Batman movie.

Wilkinson told me he’s done with Ben Affleck‘s Batman suit, and that they’re moving on to camera tests soon. Adams will again play Lois Lane, probably wearing more demure outfits than she did in “Hustle.”

The next day, he’d be on the 2014 Sketch to Screen Costume Design Panel at UCLA’s school of Theater, Film, and Television with fellow nominee Catherine Martin. (Update: She beat him for the Oscar for “The Great Gatsby”.)

Johnny Knoxville, whose makeup team is nominated for “Bad Grandpa” and who made hundreds of millions with Paramount on the initial “Jackass” franchise, sported a jean jacket that said “Sin City” on the back, and joined Rickles to unite two generations of uncompromising comedy.

“20 Feet From Stardom” producer Morgan Neville (above) said his documentary about rock’s greatest backup singers has helped the careers of all involved at a Friday luncheon at the Chateau. He said the Oscar nomination for his film was “the cherry on top” of the whole experience.

Chateau owner Andres Balasz sat next to the film’s Darlene Love near the center. Also on hand were Wendy Stark, and host Dom Perignon’s Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy, who is curiously fleeing L.A. on Oscar weekend for Napa.

J.J.’s Off Prepping Star Wars

The was no J.J. Abrams on the rooftop at the Bad Robot offices in Santa Monica on Thursday night, but he had a good excuse: He’s off prepping “Star Wars: Episode VII.”

Conan O'Brien picked up an award from the US-Ireland Alliance at the annual Oscar week event honoring the Irish in film.

“Leave it to the Irish to give a major film award to someone who’s never appeared in a film,” O’Brien opened. “I’m honored to be here in the footsteps of other Irish giants like J.J. Abrams, Russian Jew Paul Rudd, Chaz Palmintieri, and Julio Iglesias.”

Marc Friedland (above), who designs and produces the envelopes (“The Envelope please…”) for the telecast, had a hundred guests looking over the tops of glasses of champagne and cocktails at “The Oscar goes to…” cards in his studio a few miles straight south from the Dolby Theatre.

“Philomena” producer and Best Picture nominee Gabrielle Tana was one of several in the room who may be walking home with statutes on Sunday. “Nebraska” Supporting Actress nomineee June Squibb was also on hand, with a small entourage.

Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh was joined by fellow mogual Ben Silverman (above), as studio chiefs Rob Friedman from Lionsgate and Tom Bernard (waiting on some potential “Blue Jasmine” wins for Sony Pictures Classics) also came to celebrate. Nominee Greg Orloff (“Inside llewyn Davis”), perhaps a winner for best hair as well as sound, floated throug the room.

It stayed packed from the early happy hour call time (6 p.m.) until 10. Big thanks to brand partners that came on board for this one, including Peroni Nastro Azzurro, American Airlines, and the Four Seasons.

On Thursday night, what would have been Elizabeth Taylor‘s 82nd birthday, 250 of her friends and family gathered for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation Art Auction Benefit. Colin Farrell (above center) hosted the event that came off with the help of Taylor’s granddaughter Naomi Wilding and her husband Anthony Cran. (They have a photography gallery downtown.)

The friends who donated pieces are a who’s who of photography: Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, Jeff Vespa, Carole Bayer Sager, and even Taylor’s grandson, Quinn Tivey.

Meanwhile over in Hollywood the night before, Morgan Marling and sister Brit Marling took in the Art of Elyisum’s Pieces of Heaven Art Auction, the annual Oscar week fundraiser.

Concord, Mass. Comes to the Oscars

Vanity Fair kicked off the week at No Vacancy on Tuesday night. With a significant carpet and full house, the famed secret door/entrance got a vacation night.

Vanity Fair’s Senior West Coast Editor Krista Smith (thank her for those fold-out “Hollywood Issues”) co-hosted with Chris Evans. The night benefitted the Concord Youth Theatre in Massachusetts, which is run by Evans’ mom.

Michael B. Jordan – Krista Smith from Twitter” src=”http://cdn-s3.thewrap.com/images/2014/02/Michael-B.-Jordan-Krista-Smith-from-Twitter.jpg” width=”293” height=”390” />Michael B. Jordan, one of the most dressed up, got plenty of face time (and PG-rated) tongue time with Smith (above) and no tongue-time (as far as I know) with VF publisher Edward Menicheschi.

Amidst all these events and the industry that thows them, attends them, and covers them, SBE in-house publicist Brittany Mathieu threw a mid-week, Oscars-be-damned, birthday party on a Wednesday that could have been mistaken for a Friday.

Somehow, the whole gang showed up. Those who get paychecks from People, InStyle, InTouch, Access Hollywood, Us Weekly, and other stakeholders in Oscar week all dodged other commitments to cram the upstairs at State Social House (the former Red Rocks, on Sunset).

When the cake came out, with Mathieu’s face on it, the birthday girl was standing on a couch, a bottle of Grey Goose on the table, and “Timber” playing. That sounds like the SBE we all know. Credit the sharp eye and sixth sense of Mathieu to call out anyone, including a party reporter with a post to write, who tried to sneak out early on a school night.

Keep TV in the ‘Mix’

Amidst ABC’s wall-to-wall promotion of the Oscar telecast was its publicity for the new series “Mixology.”

Mikey Glazer is always on the list. He’s been covering events since his kindergarten’s Valentine’s Day cookie party, graduating to become a nightly insider on Hollywood party circuit. He has contributed from behind the velvet rope for E! Entertainment Radio, US Weekly, and created the popular live celebrity sightings twitter @CelebSightings. Please send invitations here.